1997 Lamborghini Diablo on 2040-cars

Auto blog

Watch the Lamborghini Egoista fire up on stage

Seeing the wild Lamborghini Egoista is one thing, but hearing the single-seat concept car fire to life in all its glory is something entirely different. Visitors at the Lamborghini 50th anniversary celebration in Sant' Agata got that rare opportunity when the Egoista made its presence felt. Nothing says, "I have arrived" quite like a 5.2-liter V10 barking at the crowd. It may not be the prettiest belle at the ball, but it has the pipes to make even the most jaded among us weak in the knees.
You can catch the clip of the machine firing up in the brief (and sadly shaky) video below. We've also included a more polished video recap from the anniversary celebration. Something tells us you don't need a reason to spend a few minutes watching classic Lamborghini models prancing through Italy. You're welcome.

VW makes $23K on every Porsche sold, more than Bentley or Lamborghini

It's a good time to be in the luxury car business. In Volkswagen Group's financial report for the 2013 fiscal year, it is revealed that that Porsche enjoyed an operating margin of 18 percent. That means the Stuttgart brand made on average about $23,200 per car sold, according to BusinessWeek. Bentley wasn't far behind, and Audi (which was combined with Lamborghini) posted a 10.1 percent margin. This compares to only around 2.9 percent for the Volkswagen brand.
"Luxury brands are on fire," said Dave Sullivan, an industry analyst at AutoPacific. He said that the average profit margin is between six and eight percent. Brands like Porsche and Bentley have the benefit of competing in rarefied markets. Buyers looking at one their vehicles have fewer models to shop against and don't care as much about price. They can also charge more for options, which further boosts income, according to BusinessWeek.
In a way, we should be more impressed by the continued success from Audi. Its models generally have direct competitors in every segment from the other premium automakers. Plus, their buyers aren't the captains of industry who are shopping for a Bentley. Still, the Four Rings is leading rivals in sales so far this year.

Lamborghini Huracan Sterrato off-roader is headed to production

Ending years of rumors and speculation, Lamborghini has confirmed it will build the rally-inspired Huracan Sterrato concept it unveiled in June 2019. The model, which will be the final evolution of the Huracan, is scheduled to make its official debut before the end of 2022. Preview images released by the firm give us an early look at the first off-road-ready Huracan. The coupe remains draped in camouflage but we can tell that not a lot has changed since the design study made its debut over three years ago — and that's just awesome. At its core, the Sterrato takes the form of a Huracan on stilts with two driving lights attached to its front end, wheel arch flares and a pair of roof rails. Lamborghini Huracan Sterrato, preview images View 5 Photos We're curious to find out how Lamborghini modified the Huracan's suspension system to dial in the extra ground clearance. And, there's no word yet on what the model is powered by, though we're guessing it uses a version of the standard car's naturally-aspirated, 5.2-liter V10. For context, the Sterrato concept was powered by the Huracan EVO's V10 engine, rated at 640 horsepower and 442 pound-feet of torque. It also featured all-wheel drive, a four-wheel steering system and torque vectoring, but all of these systems were retuned for off-road use. Lamborghini widened the front and rear tracks by about an inch, hence the big flares, and it added 1.85 inches of ground clearance. Lamborghini will introduce the Huracan Sterrato — assuming the concept's name is retained for the production model — by the end of 2022, meaning deliveries could start in early 2023. Pricing information hasn't been announced yet. When it lands, the off-roader will compete in a class of one. There are a great many supercars and there are a great many super-SUVs, but these two segments have rarely intersected in the realm of production cars. It's a different story in the concept car world: Volkswagen-owned ItalDesign Giugiaro turned the Lamborghini Gallardo into a high-riding design study called Parcour in 2013, and Audi unveiled the 5.0-liter V10 TDI-powered Nanuk later that year.